Posted on 07/07/2014 9:40:48 PM PDT by Steelfish
Water-Guzzling Pot Plants Draining Drought-Wracked California BY HARRIET TAYLOR
California cannabis growers may be making millions, but their thirsty plants are sucking up a priceless resource: water. Now scientists say that if no action is taken in the drought-wracked state, the consequences for fisheries and wildlife will be dire.
"If this activity continues on the trajectory it's on, we're looking at potentially streams going dry, streams that harbor endangered fish species like salmon, steelhead," said Scott Bauer of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Studying aerial photographs of four watersheds within northern California's so-called Emerald Triangle, Bauer found that the area under marijuana cultivation doubled between 2009 and 2012. It continues to grow, with increasing environmental consequences.
Bauer presented data to CNBC indicating that growers are drawing more than 156,000 gallons of water from a single tributary of the Eel River, in Mendocino County, every day.
The average marijuana plant needs about 6 gallons of water a day, depending on its size and whether it's grown inside or outside, according to a local report that cited research. Pot growers object to that number, saying that the actual water use of a pot plant is much less.
Although the marijuana business has helped revive the local economy, residents may now be feeling the effects of living alongside growers. And, as growers—some legal, some not—face a severe drought, local law enforcement officers expect the fight over natural resources to intensify.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Seems quite modest for a multi-billion dollar industry.
6 gallons a day? My bug man was telling me the other day that a lot of his customers have pot plants. lol I seriously doubt if they are using 6 gallons a day to water each plant....and it has been 106 degrees here.
"Junior, there are no fish or meat or fruit or vegetables anymore. Shut up and toke up".
Don’t understand a word you said?
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